1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to cable modem systems and, more particularly, to systems and methods for improving bandwidth efficiency in cable modem systems.
2. Description of Related Art
In conventional cable modem systems, a cable modem termination system (CMTS) at the headend typically services multiple cable modems (CMs). The CMTS transmits data and messages to the CMs on a downstream frequency and receives data bursts from the CMs on different upstream frequencies. Conventionally, CMTSs' upstream receivers are set to receive upstream signals from the CMs based on the capabilities of the lowest performing CM. Thus, even though some CMs may have higher performance capabilities, all CMs will be set to transmit at the settings of the least capable CM. With all CMs set to transmit at the settings of the least capable CM, the available upstream bandwidth is used inefficiently. The CMs with higher performance capabilities will use more bandwidth than if they transmitted using their higher performance capabilities. Conventional cable modem systems, thus, inefficiently use available upstream bandwidth.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to more efficiently use upstream bandwidth in cable modem systems.